ROCHESTER — A former North Dakota senator who planned to sexually abuse children overseas has been transferred to a federal prison.

Jail records show Ray Holmberg, a Republican from Grand Forks, was taken from the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minnesota, to the Federal Medical Center in Rochester on Wednesday, June 4. Rochester is one of six cities in the U.S. that has a federal medical prison.

Holmberg was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to traveling to Prague multiple times between 2011 and 2016 with plans to sexually abuse children as part of commercial sex.

Holmberg has several health conditions that qualify him for a medical prison, his attorney Mark Friese said. Holmberg said he suffers from "serious" spinal and pulmonary issues.

Fries

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